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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cue — a hint
  3. chest — a box
  4. bound — certain
  5. wax — to grow
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. season — of the year
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bound — obliged
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. hand — help
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cue — a signal
  17. season — in sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wind — moving air
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bound — tied together
  24. hand — in cards

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