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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 116 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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. key — in music
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. key — for a lock
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. board — a committee
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. last — final
  18. key — the most important part

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