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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pit — a hole
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wax — to grow
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kid — child
  21. pit — in a race
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. track — a song
  24. coach — a trainer

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