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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rash — a series
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cue — a hint
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. scale — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cue — a signal
  23. key — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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