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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. track — a path
  5. present — there
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — to grow
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. present — the time now
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. chip — for betting
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. track — a song
  19. mark — a grade
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. track — to keep track
  22. chip — to eat
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mark — a trace

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