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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wax — to grow
  4. key — for a lock
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pit — in a race
  8. club — for golf
  9. key — the most important part
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mine — for digging
  14. key — in music
  15. march — music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for dancing
  19. march — the month
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — belonging to me

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