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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rest — what's left
  6. track — to keep track
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — to protest
  10. track — a song
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. track — a path
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rest — what's left
  22. file — a tool
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. rest — a break

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