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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. spell — magic
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. kick — in football
  7. spell — letters
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pit — in a race
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. content — happy
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. content — the amount

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