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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. file — a document
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. scale — in music
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. key — for a lock
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. swing — in golf
  14. file — a line of people
  15. game — a match
  16. craft — boats
  17. key — in music
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. game — wild animals
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. file — a tool
  24. wax — to grow

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