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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — to get on
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. board — a committee
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. last — to go on
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. track — a path
  21. last — final
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. snap — to click
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com