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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wax — to grow
  3. track — a song
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. track — a path
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pop — soda
  14. file — a line of people
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. file — a tool
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pop — music
  20. file — a document
  21. pop — to visit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. racket — for tennis

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