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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bear — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. march — music
  9. chip — to eat
  10. kid — child
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. key — in music
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. key — for a lock
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. sharp — clever
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bear — the animal
  24. saw — the tool

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