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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. scale — in music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wax — to grow
  5. saw — the tool
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bat — the animal
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bore — to drill
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bore — to tire
  23. key — in music
  24. racket — for tennis

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