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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. stand — to bear
  5. key — the most important part
  6. craft — boats
  7. game — wild animals
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. face — part of the head
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. face — to confront
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. craft — a skill
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. foot — a measure
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. game — a match
  24. wax — to grow

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