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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. can — a tin
  4. key — in music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pop — soda
  8. rest — what's left
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rest — a break
  11. game — a match
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. can — a tin
  14. last — finally
  15. can — to be able to
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pop — music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — for a lock
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rest — what's left

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