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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 124 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. content — happy
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fall — to drop
  9. track — a song
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mate — a friend
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wax — to grow
  17. key — for a lock
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. content — the amount
  23. track — a path
  24. mark — a trace

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