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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 120 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. last — final
  3. track — to keep track
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. can — a tin
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. wax — to grow
  9. last — finally
  10. rest — what's left
  11. foot — a measure
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. track — a song
  15. chest — of your body
  16. can — a tin
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. last — to go on
  19. chest — a box
  20. rest — a break
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. track — a path
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — for betting

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