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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. foot — a measure
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. track — to keep track
  10. race — humankind
  11. wax — to grow
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. race — the arms race
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. track — a path
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. season — in sport
  19. race — a contest
  20. track — a song
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pass — a permit
  24. season — of the year

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