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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. march — the month
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bound — tied together
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mark — a grade
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bound — certain
  17. march — music
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. track — a song
  20. wax — to grow
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. track — to keep track
  23. march — the month
  24. track — a path

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