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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. track — a path
  3. pop — soda
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. present — there
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wax — to grow
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — the time now
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. track — a song
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bore — to drill
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — a leader
  21. land — a country
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pop — music
  24. ball — a dance

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