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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. face — part of the head
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. craft — a skill
  8. last — final
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. face — to point toward
  13. chest — of your body
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. chest — a box
  16. face — to confront
  17. craft — boats
  18. last — to go on
  19. squash — to crush
  20. last — finally
  21. key — the most important part
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bowl — to roll

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