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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. key — in music
  5. chest — a box
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wax — to grow
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. key — for a lock
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stem — to come from
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cap — a hat
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wax — in the ear

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