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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. capital — a city
  3. stand — to bear
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lie — to recline
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. key — in music
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. wind — moving air
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. capital — money
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rush — hurry
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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