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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. file — a line of people
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — clothes
  7. mine — for digging
  8. kick — in football
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. file — a tool
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. net — after costs
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. suit — to fit
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. net — in sport
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rule — government
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rule — a law
  23. net — for catching
  24. file — a document

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