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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wax — to grow
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mate — to breed
  10. race — humankind
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mate — a friend
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. track — to keep track
  16. race — a contest
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. race — the arms race

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