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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. track — a song
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. content — happy
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wax — to grow
  10. content — the amount
  11. track — a path
  12. current — happening now
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. current — of water
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. track — to keep track
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. current — electric
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. content — videos and posts

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