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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. tube — a container
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. toast — bread
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. wax — to grow
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. stock — goods
  19. last — final
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. mine — for digging
  22. tube — the underground
  23. kick — in football
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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