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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. march — the month
  3. key — for a lock
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. march — music
  7. season — of the year
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. key — the most important part
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. hand — in cards
  16. present — the time now
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. season — in sport
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. march — the month
  24. season — to add flavour

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