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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mate — a partner
  5. key — the most important part
  6. ground — the earth
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. shower — rain
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ground — crushed
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ground — a position
  16. field — farmland
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mate — to breed
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. craft — boats

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