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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. key — in music
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. club — for dancing
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. club — for golf
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. wind — moving air
  15. key — for a lock
  16. face — to confront
  17. club — a group
  18. wax — to grow
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. land — ground
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wind — moving air

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