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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rush — hurry
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stock — goods
  14. foot — a measure
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rest — a break
  17. rash — a series
  18. wax — to grow
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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