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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. toast — bread
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. vault — a safe
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wax — to grow
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wound — an injury
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mate — to breed
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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