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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. board — a committee
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. face — to confront
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. key — in music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. key — for a lock
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wax — to grow
  21. squash — the sport
  22. face — to point toward
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cold — an illness

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