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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stock — goods
  11. can — a tin
  12. tube — the underground
  13. can — a tin
  14. mate — a friend
  15. tube — a container
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. key — the most important part
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stock — shares
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a partner
  24. drill — a practice

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