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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. roll — a cake
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — a face
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. key — for a lock
  10. march — music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rest — a break
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. march — the month
  17. rash — a series
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wax — to grow
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. key — in music
  22. roll — a list
  23. march — the month
  24. rest — what's left

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