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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. shower — to wash
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. content — the amount
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mug — a face
  12. content — happy
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mug — a cup
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. track — a song
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mug — to rob
  23. shower — rain
  24. track — a path

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