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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.

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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rush — hurry
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. hand — help
  8. spell — letters
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pit — in a race
  11. kick — in football
  12. pit — a hole
  13. capital — money
  14. wax — to grow
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spell — magic
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. capital — a city

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