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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. track — a path
  6. ground — a position
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. track — a song
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. scale — in music
  11. press — to push
  12. wax — to grow
  13. press — newspapers
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. press — a publisher
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. scale — size or range
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. cue — a hint

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