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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. content — happy
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stock — goods
  7. key — in music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pit — a hole
  10. charge — in control
  11. hand — help
  12. stock — shares
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. content — the amount
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pit — in a race
  22. charge — a price
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. key — the most important part

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