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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. last — finally
  2. file — a line of people
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mug — a cup
  6. track — a song
  7. file — a tool
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. last — to go on
  11. track — a path
  12. mug — a face
  13. club — for dancing
  14. last — final
  15. club — a group
  16. track — to keep track
  17. chip — to eat
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. mug — to rob
  20. club — for golf
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. chip — for betting
  23. file — a document
  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