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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. key — in music
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wax — to grow
  5. race — a contest
  6. object — to protest
  7. race — humankind
  8. kid — child
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. race — the arms race
  13. key — the most important part
  14. object — a thing
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wax — in the ear

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