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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. last — finally
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mug — a face
  9. rock — music
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. last — to go on
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mug — to rob
  15. suit — clothes
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wind — moving air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. last — final
  24. calf — of the leg

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