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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 120 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 hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. wax — to grow
  5. march — the month
  6. cue — a hint
  7. key — in music
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. race — a contest
  12. kid — child
  13. march — music
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. march — the month
  16. key — for a lock
  17. branch — a division
  18. kid — to tease
  19. staff — a stick
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. staff — employees
  24. key — the most important part

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