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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mate — a partner
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. squash — to crush
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wax — to grow
  9. suit — clothes
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. suit — to fit
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. suit — in cards
  18. mate — to breed
  19. degree — from a university
  20. hand — help
  21. degree — temperature
  22. squash — the sport
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mate — a friend

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