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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 120 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — in a race
  7. firm — a company
  8. key — for a lock
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. key — the most important part
  11. firm — decided
  12. key — in music
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. firm — steady
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. plane — a tool

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