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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — an aim
  7. land — to come down
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stock — shares
  12. land — a country
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stock — goods
  17. land — ground
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. object — a thing
  20. wax — to grow
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pass — to succeed

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