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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. key — the most important part
  2. track — a path
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. season — in sport
  8. wax — to grow
  9. track — a song
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bulb — for light
  12. track — to keep track
  13. race — humankind
  14. bulb — for light
  15. season — of the year
  16. key — for a lock
  17. race — a contest
  18. kid — child
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. race — the arms race
  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