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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
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · face · rest · game · deal · cold · key · wax

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wax — to grow
  3. face — to point toward
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rest — what's left
  7. sharp — clever
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. deal — to handle
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. rest — what's left
  17. key — in music
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rest — a break
  20. face — to confront
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. deal — an agreement

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