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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. spell — letters
  5. rule — government
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rash — a series
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. rash — hasty
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. kick — in football
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. spell — magic
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. rule — a law
  24. hand — help

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