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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. file — a document
  3. wax — to grow
  4. file — a tool
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. track — a song
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. track — a path
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. key — in music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. last — to go on
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. spell — letters
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. spell — magic
  22. track — to keep track
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. key — the most important part

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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