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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. key — for a lock
  3. present — the time now
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. key — the most important part
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. club — for golf
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. present — a gift
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. club — a group
  19. cue — a signal
  20. mate — a partner
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wax — to grow
  23. key — in music
  24. mate — to breed

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