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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. kick — in football
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mark — a grade
  7. chest — of your body
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. land — ground
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wax — to grow
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. land — to come down
  16. mark — a trace
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chest — of your body
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. land — a country
  24. chest — a box

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