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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. key — in music
  7. cap — a lid
  8. key — for a lock
  9. staff — a stick
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wax — to grow
  15. branch — a division
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. chip — for betting
  18. net — in sport
  19. chip — to eat
  20. staff — employees
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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