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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. key — the most important part
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. key — in music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lie — to recline
  10. tear — to rip
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. key — for a lock
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wax — to grow
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. chair — a leader
  24. arm — part of the body

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