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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. kick — in football
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. current — happening now
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. key — in music
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. stock — goods
  12. court — of a king
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stock — shares
  17. current — of water
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. court — for sport
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. current — electric
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. court — of law
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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