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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. game — a match
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. kick — in football
  7. hand — help
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. can — a tin
  11. wax — to grow
  12. spring — of water
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. game — wild animals
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. key — in music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — in cards
  21. key — the most important part
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. perch — the fish
  24. game — a kind of play

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