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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. track — a song
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. track — a path
  6. roll — a list
  7. file — a document
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. key — for a lock
  11. net — in sport
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wax — to grow
  15. file — a tool
  16. roll — a cake
  17. key — in music
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. net — after costs
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. key — the most important part
  23. net — for catching
  24. fork — in a road

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