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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. key — for a lock
  5. plane — a tool
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wax — to grow
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. face — to point toward
  12. clip — to cut
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. swing — to play on
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. face — part of the head
  19. swing — music
  20. clip — a video
  21. staff — employees
  22. face — to confront
  23. swing — in golf
  24. clip — for paper

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