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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rest — what's left
  5. game — a match
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pass — a permit
  9. season — in sport
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. root — of a word
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. game — wild animals
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rest — a break
  19. key — in music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wax — to grow
  22. season — of the year
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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