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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wax — to grow
  3. key — the most important part
  4. club — for golf
  5. key — for a lock
  6. net — in sport
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. chair — a leader
  12. key — in music
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. net — for catching
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. march — music
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. kick — in football
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. march — the month
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. net — after costs
  24. club — a group

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