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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rush — hurry
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cell — in biology
  16. hand — help
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. kick — in football
  21. ground — a position
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wax — to grow
  24. safe — out of danger

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