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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. kick — in football
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. rest — a break
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. rest — what's left
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cell — in biology
  24. can — a tin

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