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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. kick — in football
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wax — to grow
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mug — a cup
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mug — to rob
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. game — a match
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. game — wild animals
  18. foot — a measure
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. cell — in biology
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mug — a face
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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