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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. key — the most important part
  10. squash — to crush
  11. net — after costs
  12. mine — for digging
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. net — in sport
  15. squash — the sport
  16. board — to get on
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. key — in music
  20. net — for catching
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. wax — to grow
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. board — a committee

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