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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. charge — a price
  4. track — a path
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. kid — child
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. charge — electricity
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. charge — in control
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. track — a song
  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