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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 120 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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. kid — to tease
  3. root — the cause
  4. rule — government
  5. snap — to click
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wax — to grow
  9. root — of a plant
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. root — of a word
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rule — a law
  14. kick — in football
  15. kid — child
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. chest — of your body
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kick — a thrill

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