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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. last — to go on
  4. pit — in a race
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. chip — to eat
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. track — a song
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. stand — to bear
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. chip — for betting
  16. last — final
  17. track — a path
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. last — finally
  20. track — to keep track
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. straw — a straw man

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