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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. game — a match
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wax — to grow
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. kick — in football
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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