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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. file — a document
  7. land — a country
  8. season — in sport
  9. fall — to drop
  10. season — of the year
  11. land — to come down
  12. foot — a measure
  13. land — ground
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. file — a tool
  17. key — the most important part
  18. fall — the season
  19. file — a line of people
  20. key — for a lock
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. wax — to grow
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bowl — a football final

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