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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cold — not warm
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mug — a face
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a great time
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. fine — high quality
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fine — all right
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wax — for sculpting

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