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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rule — government
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. can — a tin
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. can — to be able to
  9. hand — help
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lie — to recline
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. can — a tin
  15. game — a match
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pitch — completely
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rule — a law
  24. hand — in cards

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