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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wax — to grow
  10. track — a song
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. track — a path
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rest — a break
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. rest — what's left
  24. safe — out of danger

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