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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wax — to grow
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mate — to breed
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. hand — help
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ground — a position
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. dip — to sink
  17. ground — crushed
  18. net — after costs
  19. mate — a partner
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. net — for catching
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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