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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bound — obliged
  3. last — final
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. cue — for pool
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bound — tied together
  15. last — to go on
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bound — certain
  18. last — finally

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