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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — the most important part
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. scale — in music
  5. season — of the year
  6. race — humankind
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. race — the arms race
  9. season — in sport
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. wax — to grow
  12. row — a line
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. row — to paddle
  20. scale — size or range
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. race — a contest
  24. row — a quarrel

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