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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rule — a law
  3. file — a document
  4. wax — to grow
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. track — a path
  7. mate — to breed
  8. field — for sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. file — a tool
  13. mate — a friend
  14. field — a subject
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — a price
  17. rule — government
  18. charge — electricity
  19. track — a song
  20. mate — a partner
  21. perch — the fish
  22. field — farmland
  23. file — a line of people
  24. wax — in the ear

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