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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. last — final
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. key — in music
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mark — a grade
  13. last — finally
  14. mark — a trace
  15. key — for a lock
  16. degree — from a university
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. degree — temperature
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. last — to go on

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