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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wax — to grow
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. game — a match
  11. bass — low music
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. key — in music
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. rash — a series

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