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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
468
Word bank
YesNo
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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: pitcher · wax · scale · lie · hide · chair · safe · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wax — to grow
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. lie — to recline
  15. key — in music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. key — for a lock
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. lie — an untruth

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