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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. net — after costs
  3. key — the most important part
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pop — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spell — a short time
  11. fork — in a road
  12. spell — magic
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. key — in music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. net — in sport
  17. key — for a lock
  18. net — for catching
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. spell — letters
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fork — to eat with

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