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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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  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. march — the month
  2. kid — to tease
  3. key — for a lock
  4. cold — not warm
  5. march — the month
  6. kid — child
  7. mug — to rob
  8. spring — of water
  9. mug — a cup
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. spring — a coil
  13. mug — a face
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. cold — an illness
  16. spring — the season
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. march — music
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. key — in music
  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