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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. key — in music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. cell — a phone
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. key — for a lock
  22. swing — to play on
  23. fine — all right
  24. plane — a 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