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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. can — a tin
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. craft — a skill
  7. content — the amount
  8. staff — employees
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. content — happy
  14. can — to be able to
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. can — a tin
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. craft — boats
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. staff — a stick
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. staff — employees

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