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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 120 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lean — to bend
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. hand — help
  10. lean — thin
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cue — a hint
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. cue — for pool
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. hand — in cards
  21. kick — in football
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cue — a signal
  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