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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — an aim
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cue — for pool
  5. object — to protest
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cue — a signal
  8. key — for a lock
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mug — to rob
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. cue — a hint
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mug — a face
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. key — in music

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