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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. face — to confront
  7. board — a committee
  8. key — for a lock
  9. capital — money
  10. key — the most important part
  11. wax — to grow
  12. object — a thing
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. object — an aim
  15. last — to go on
  16. face — to point toward
  17. object — to protest
  18. last — finally
  19. key — in music
  20. capital — a city
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. last — final
  23. board — to get on
  24. capital — a big letter

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