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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. snap — to click
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wax — to grow
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. board — a committee
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. board — to get on
  9. track — a song
  10. rest — what's left
  11. court — of law
  12. track — to keep track
  13. spring — a coil
  14. court — for sport
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spring — the season
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. spring — of water
  20. rest — a break
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. court — of a king

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