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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.

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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 · board · pitch · chest · wax · bay · key · race

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. race — the arms race
  5. chest — a box
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitch — completely
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. key — for a lock
  13. board — to get on
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. board — a committee
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. chest — of your body
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. key — in music
  24. board — a flat piece

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