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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. race — humankind
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cue — a signal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cue — a hint
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. race — a contest
  14. squash — the sport
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bat — the animal
  18. chest — a box
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wax — for sculpting

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