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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. face — to confront
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. clip — for paper
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. clip — a video
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. key — the most important part
  13. clip — to cut
  14. key — in music
  15. pitch — completely
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pass — to succeed

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