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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 116 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. key — in music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. capital — a city
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wax — to grow
  19. capital — money
  20. last — final
  21. key — for a lock
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. land — ground
  24. key — the most important part

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