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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. spring — the season
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. game — a match
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — a coil
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. spring — of water
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pitch — completely
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wax — to grow
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. kick — in football
  23. wax — in the ear
  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