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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. track — a path
  5. season — of the year
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. deal — to handle
  10. lean — thin
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. chip — for betting
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. lean — to bend
  21. track — to keep track
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. track — a song
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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