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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. court — of law
  4. key — the most important part
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. court — for sport
  8. key — in music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. key — for a lock
  11. saw — the tool
  12. net — after costs
  13. court — of a king
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. net — for catching
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. net — in sport
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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