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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. game — a match
  3. tube — a container
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. net — for catching
  9. track — a path
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — to grow
  12. tube — the underground
  13. march — the month
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. track — a song
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. net — after costs
  19. bound — certain
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bound — tied together
  22. march — music
  23. net — in sport
  24. bound — obliged

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