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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pop — soda
  3. spell — magic
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pop — to visit
  7. key — in music
  8. key — for a lock
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. key — the most important part
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. spell — letters
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pop — music
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. spell — a short time
  23. saw — the tool
  24. track — a song

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