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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mug — a face
  5. swing — in golf
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chest — of your body
  9. tube — the underground
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. sharp — clever
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. swing — music
  14. mug — to rob
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chest — a box
  17. tube — a container
  18. track — a song
  19. swing — to play on
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. track — a path
  24. sharp — exactly

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