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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 a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. court — of a king
  3. pitch — completely
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. key — for a lock
  8. court — of law
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wax — to grow
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. key — in music
  18. sharp — clever
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. foot — a measure
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. court — for sport

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