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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bore — to tire
  4. band — a ring
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. net — for catching
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. band — a music group
  10. net — after costs
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wax — to grow
  13. net — in sport
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fine — all right
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. kick — in football
  23. fine — high quality
  24. wax — for sculpting

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