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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. game — a match
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bore — to tire
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wax — to grow
  22. key — the most important part
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wave — with your hand

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