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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mate — a partner
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. scale — size or range
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mug — a face
  13. track — a path
  14. scale — in music
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mate — a friend
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mate — to breed
  24. track — a song

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