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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kick — in football
  8. chest — a box
  9. toast — bread
  10. chest — of your body
  11. can — a tin
  12. game — a match
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. can — a tin
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wax — to grow
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wind — moving air
  24. kick — with a leg

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