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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fork — in a road
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. board — a committee
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. key — in music
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. race — a contest
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. race — humankind
  13. chip — to eat
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rock — music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. board — to get on
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rock — a stone
  24. fan — to cool the air

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