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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. kick — in football
  4. degree — from a university
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wax — to grow
  8. race — humankind
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. race — the arms race
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. degree — an amount
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. degree — temperature
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. race — a contest

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