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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cell — a phone
  3. key — in music
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. chair — a leader
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mate — to breed
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. can — a tin
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cell — in biology
  20. can — to be able to
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. mate — a partner
  23. can — a tin
  24. fork — to eat with

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