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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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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. key — for a lock
  3. scale — size or range
  4. roll — a list
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. season — of the year
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. key — the most important part
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. season — in sport
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. key — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — in music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bear — to put up with

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