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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 120 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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. sharp — clever
  3. track — a song
  4. shower — rain
  5. key — for a lock
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. key — in music
  20. track — a path
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. sharp — exactly

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