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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. key — for a lock
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. swing — to play on
  11. spell — a short time
  12. court — for sport
  13. wax — to grow
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. spell — magic
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. swing — music
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mark — a trace
  24. tube — a container

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