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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. pop — to visit
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. key — for a lock
  5. chair — a leader
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. file — a tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. key — the most important part
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pop — music
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wax — to grow
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. key — in music
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pop — soda

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