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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. scale — in music
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rock — music
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. key — in music
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. content — the amount
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ball — a dance
  15. content — happy
  16. rock — a stone
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. scale — size or range
  19. key — the most important part
  20. mine — for digging
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. key — for a lock
  24. content — videos and posts

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