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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. present — there
  3. chest — of your body
  4. lean — thin
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mate — a friend
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. present — a gift
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mate — to breed
  18. chest — a box
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. present — the time now
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mate — a partner

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