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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fork — in a road
  5. sharp — clever
  6. firm — steady
  7. track — a path
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. board — to get on
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. firm — a company
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. board — a committee
  17. track — a song
  18. firm — decided
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wax — to grow

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