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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. game — a match
  12. kick — in football
  13. race — the arms race
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cue — for pool
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. cue — a signal
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. snap — to click
  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