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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. key — for a lock
  3. club — for golf
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stand — to bear
  7. face — to confront
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. land — a country
  10. key — in music
  11. land — to come down
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. sharp — clever
  15. land — ground
  16. face — to point toward
  17. club — for dancing
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. club — a group
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wax — to grow

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