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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 124 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. rash — a series
  3. key — in music
  4. march — the month
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. board — a committee
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cell — a phone
  15. board — to get on
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. chair — a leader
  18. wax — to grow
  19. march — the month
  20. key — for a lock
  21. march — music
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bound — tied together

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