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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. staff — a stick
  6. mug — a cup
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mug — a face
  10. kid — to tease
  11. game — wild animals
  12. key — in music
  13. staff — employees
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wax — to grow
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. staff — employees
  21. kid — child
  22. mug — to rob
  23. game — a match
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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