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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. net — after costs
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mate — a partner
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — the month
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. march — the month
  11. track — a path
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. net — in sport
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mate — a friend
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. track — a song
  21. net — for catching
  22. dip — to sink
  23. march — music
  24. wax — to grow

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