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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stock — shares
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cold — not warm
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. chip — for betting
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. kid — child
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. stock — goods
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stock — a soup base

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