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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. net — in sport
  3. track — a path
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rash — a series
  6. mug — a face
  7. track — to keep track
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. track — a song
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rash — hasty
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mug — to rob
  18. ball — a great time
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. mug — a cup
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pass — a permit

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