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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. suit — clothes
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bound — obliged
  6. row — a line
  7. track — a path
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fine — all right
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bound — tied together
  15. fine — high quality
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — in cards
  21. bound — certain
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. track — a song
  24. row — a quarrel

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