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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rush — hurry
  3. file — a document
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a tool
  12. key — in music
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. key — for a lock
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fall — to drop
  21. key — the most important part
  22. fall — the season
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. temple — a place of worship

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