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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — clothes
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. board — a committee
  7. spring — a coil
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. key — in music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bass — the fish
  15. spring — the season
  16. bass — low music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — to grow
  22. last — finally
  23. spring — of water
  24. suit — in cards

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