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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wax — to grow
  4. track — a path
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. track — a song
  7. content — happy
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. saw — the tool
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. staff — employees
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. key — in music
  17. rule — a law
  18. content — the amount
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. rule — government
  23. key — for a lock
  24. content — videos and posts

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