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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. season — of the year
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. season — in sport
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cold — an illness
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mark — a grade
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. kick — in football
  24. cold — not warm

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