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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. chair — a leader
  9. key — the most important part
  10. pass — a permit
  11. can — to be able to
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. dip — to sink
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. track — a song
  18. can — a tin
  19. key — for a lock
  20. hand — help
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. can — a tin
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. pass — to spend time

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