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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mark — a trace
  4. board — a committee
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rash — a series
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. net — for catching
  11. file — a document
  12. squash — the sport
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. board — to get on
  16. file — a tool
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. net — in sport
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rash — hasty
  22. net — after costs
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wax — to grow

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