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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. key — for a lock
  5. row — to paddle
  6. present — there
  7. row — a line
  8. degree — an amount
  9. face — to confront
  10. degree — temperature
  11. key — in music
  12. roll — a cake
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wax — to grow
  15. roll — a list
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. present — the time now
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. face — part of the head
  21. key — the most important part
  22. face — to point toward
  23. present — a gift
  24. jam — in traffic

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