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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — of water
  9. pass — a permit
  10. drill — army training
  11. club — for dancing
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. club — for golf
  16. drill — a practice
  17. current — electric
  18. wake — a trail
  19. club — a group
  20. drill — the tool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wake — before a funeral

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