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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. can — a tin
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. vault — a safe
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wax — to grow
  12. can — a tin
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. cue — a signal
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. rash — hasty
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rash — a series
  23. kick — in football
  24. mine — for digging

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