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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. game — a match
  5. key — the most important part
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cold — not warm
  8. board — to get on
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. key — for a lock
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. scale — in music
  15. board — a committee
  16. game — wild animals
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. key — in music

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