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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. staff — employees
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mate — a partner
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wax — to grow
  11. staff — employees
  12. drill — a practice
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pop — music
  15. key — in music
  16. pop — soda
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. drill — army training
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. drill — the tool
  24. staff — a stick

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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