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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. can — a tin
  7. last — finally
  8. present — a gift
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. rule — government
  11. last — final
  12. mine — for digging
  13. can — a tin
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. present — there
  16. last — to go on
  17. rule — a law
  18. track — a path
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. kick — in football
  24. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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