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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. track — a path
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. land — ground
  9. object — to protest
  10. march — music
  11. land — a country
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. row — a line
  15. march — the month
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. row — to paddle
  18. chip — for betting
  19. land — to come down
  20. wax — to grow
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. march — the month
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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