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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. season — in sport
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rash — a series
  10. season — of the year
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. row — a line
  15. key — in music
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rash — hasty
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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