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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. press — a publisher
  3. cell — a phone
  4. key — for a lock
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bat — the animal
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. tube — a container
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. press — to push
  21. key — in music
  22. wax — to grow
  23. key — the most important part
  24. tube — the underground

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