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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. club — a group
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fine — all right
  5. toast — bread
  6. track — to keep track
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. can — a tin
  11. club — for golf
  12. can — to be able to
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. club — for dancing
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. game — a match
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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