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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. file — a document
  6. track — a path
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. game — a match
  12. ball — a dance
  13. file — a tool
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. track — a song
  16. file — a line of people
  17. drill — army training
  18. ball — a great time
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. game — a kind of play

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