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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. march — music
  5. swing — music
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rock — music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. march — the month
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rock — a stone
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. swing — in golf
  14. key — the most important part
  15. march — the month
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. wax — to grow
  22. key — in music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. arm — part of the body

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