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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mug — a cup
  6. fork — in a road
  7. mate — to breed
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wax — to grow
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — music
  13. bat — the animal
  14. swing — in golf
  15. mug — to rob
  16. lean — to bend
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mug — a face
  22. lean — thin
  23. key — in music
  24. fork — a garden tool

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