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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. chest — of your body
  3. track — a path
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chest — a box
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wax — to grow
  8. chip — to eat
  9. face — part of the head
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. track — a song
  12. face — to point toward
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. face — to confront
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. chest — of your body
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pass — a permit
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. land — ground
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. chip — for betting
  23. track — to keep track
  24. land — a country

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