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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. race — a contest
  11. mate — a friend
  12. race — humankind
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lean — thin
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wax — to grow
  21. race — the arms race
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lean — to rest against

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