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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. object — to protest
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. key — for a lock
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. key — the most important part
  9. drill — the tool
  10. capital — money
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. capital — a city
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wind — moving air
  18. object — a thing
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wax — to grow
  22. key — in music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. object — an aim

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