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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. deal — to handle
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. track — to keep track
  6. chip — to eat
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. track — a song
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rush — hurry
  14. track — a path
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. perch — the fish
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. chip — in a computer

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