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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · foot · wax · track · game · perch · file · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. foot — a measure
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. file — a document
  5. wax — to grow
  6. track — a song
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pit — a hole
  10. drill — army training
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. track — a path
  13. file — a line of people
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. track — to keep track
  16. perch — the fish
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. file — a tool
  19. drill — the tool
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. drill — a practice
  22. game — a match
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wax — for sculpting

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