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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. key — for a lock
  4. game — a match
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. can — a tin
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. can — a tin
  14. sharp — clever
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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