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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. scale — size or range
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pop — music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. pop — soda
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wax — to grow
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. track — a path
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. track — a song
  24. scale — in music

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