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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mine — for digging
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. rash — hasty
  8. toast — bread
  9. object — to protest
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. object — a thing
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. object — an aim
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. file — a tool
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. track — a path

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