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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. net — after costs
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. track — to keep track
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. toast — bread
  15. track — a song
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. net — for catching
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. net — in sport
  24. safe — a strongbox

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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