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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. last — to go on
  8. cue — a hint
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. track — a path
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. track — a song
  17. degree — from a university
  18. last — finally
  19. mug — to rob
  20. saw — the tool
  21. last — final
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mug — a cup
  24. track — to keep track

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