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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. wax — to grow
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. field — farmland
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. field — a subject
  14. squash — to crush
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. field — for sport
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. toast — bread
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. kick — in football
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. lash — to lash out

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