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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. can — a tin
  3. season — of the year
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. season — in sport
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. can — a tin
  9. game — a match
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. present — a gift
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. game — wild animals
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. arm — part of the body

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