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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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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: track · kick · season · spell · deal · wax · last · chip

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. season — of the year
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chip — for betting
  7. last — final
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. last — finally
  10. spell — magic
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. spell — a short time
  18. deal — to handle
  19. chip — to eat
  20. last — to go on
  21. track — to keep track
  22. spell — letters
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — in football

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