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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. key — in music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. scale — size or range
  16. chest — of your body
  17. key — for a lock
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chest — a box
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pit — a hole
  23. key — the most important part
  24. scale — 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