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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cold — an illness
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. kick — in football
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. hand — in cards
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rush — hurry
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. wax — to grow
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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