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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rush — hurry
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wake — a trail
  11. capital — a city
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. charge — electricity
  15. content — the amount
  16. mark — a trace
  17. charge — in control
  18. content — happy
  19. track — a path
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. track — a song
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. charge — a price

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