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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wax — to grow
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bank — for money
  12. charge — a price
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. clip — to cut
  16. key — in music
  17. game — a match
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bank — for money
  20. stock — goods
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — a grade
  23. stock — shares
  24. game — a kind of play

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