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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. key — in music
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rush — hurry
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. sharp — clever

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