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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wax — to grow
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. land — to come down
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kick — in football
  14. land — ground
  15. pitch — completely
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. swing — music
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. land — a country
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wax — in the ear

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