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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wax — to grow
  3. season — in sport
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stock — goods
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. track — to keep track
  13. last — to go on
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stock — shares
  17. current — electric
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. last — finally
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. season — of the year

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