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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. track — to keep track
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wax — to grow
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. file — a document
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. degree — from a university
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. track — a song
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  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