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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. row — a line
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wax — to grow
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. can — a tin
  7. sharp — clever
  8. land — ground
  9. court — of a king
  10. row — to paddle
  11. land — a country
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. can — to be able to
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. land — to come down
  18. mate — to breed
  19. can — a tin
  20. key — in music
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mate — a friend

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