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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. key — the most important part
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. chair — a leader
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. tube — a container
  14. deal — to handle
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. saw — the tool
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wax — to grow
  20. saw — the tool
  21. vault — a safe
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. key — in music

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