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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cap — a lid
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. key — for a lock
  8. mate — a partner
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wax — to grow
  13. root — of a plant
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. root — the cause
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wound — an injury
  23. root — of a word
  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