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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. capital — money
  3. mark — a trace
  4. object — a thing
  5. track — to keep track
  6. craft — a skill
  7. track — a song
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. game — a match
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. object — an aim
  13. track — a path
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wax — to grow
  16. craft — boats
  17. game — wild animals
  18. capital — a city
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. object — to protest

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