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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pop — to visit
  3. key — for a lock
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. sharp — clever
  7. key — in music
  8. bound — certain
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bound — obliged
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pop — soda
  14. capital — a city
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bound — tied together
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. prune — to trim
  21. capital — money
  22. pop — music
  23. foot — a measure
  24. wax — in the ear

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