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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. spring — of water
  3. fine — all right
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. key — the most important part
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wax — to grow
  8. spring — the season
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. foot — a measure
  12. key — for a lock
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fine — high quality
  18. spring — a coil
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — government
  22. key — in music
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. perch — for a bird

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