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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. fine — high quality
  3. club — a group
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bound — obliged
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wax — to grow
  8. key — in music
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. club — for golf
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bound — certain
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. club — for dancing
  21. chest — a box
  22. fine — all right
  23. pass — a permit
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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