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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. key — in music
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. degree — an amount
  10. key — the most important part
  11. firm — steady
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mark — a trace
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wax — to grow
  24. firm — decided

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