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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. object — an aim
  3. last — final
  4. object — a thing
  5. key — the most important part
  6. last — to go on
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. key — in music
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. object — to protest
  16. last — finally
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bulb — of a plant

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