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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. staff — a stick
  12. key — in music
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pitch — completely
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bowl — to roll

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