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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. mate — to breed
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mate — a partner
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mine — for digging
  12. shower — to wash
  13. key — in music
  14. scale — in music
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. shower — rain
  19. fall — to drop
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. safe — out of danger

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