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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 124 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pass — a permit
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. spell — a short time
  7. chest — a box
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rash — a series
  10. track — a path
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spell — magic
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. spell — letters
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wax — to grow
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. rash — on the skin

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