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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. staff — employees
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mark — a trace
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. track — a path
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. net — in sport
  9. key — in music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. key — for a lock
  13. scale — size or range
  14. staff — employees
  15. net — after costs
  16. scale — in music
  17. mark — a grade
  18. wax — to grow
  19. vault — a safe
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. track — a song
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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