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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. file — a line of people
  7. track — a song
  8. chest — a box
  9. wax — to grow
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. file — a document
  18. track — a path
  19. file — a tool
  20. mate — a friend
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wake — a trail
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mate — to breed

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