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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. key — for a lock
  3. spell — letters
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. spell — magic
  6. file — a document
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wax — to grow
  9. file — a tool
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. face — to confront
  14. key — in music
  15. mate — to breed
  16. file — a line of people
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mate — a partner
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. face — part of the head
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. spell — a short time
  23. key — the most important part
  24. calf — a young animal

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