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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. clip — to cut
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. season — in sport
  12. mark — a trace
  13. clip — for paper
  14. game — a match
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mark — a grade
  21. season — of the year
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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