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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. key — the most important part
  3. wax — to grow
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mark — a trace
  6. key — in music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. object — an aim
  10. staff — employees
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mark — a grade
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — a match
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. object — a thing
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. object — to protest
  22. content — the amount
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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