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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. track — a path
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mug — a cup
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. date — the fruit
  11. last — final
  12. mug — a face
  13. mine — for digging
  14. last — finally
  15. wax — to grow
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. mug — to rob
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. last — to go on
  23. track — to keep track
  24. foot — the bottom

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