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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. wax — to grow
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mine — for digging
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pit — in a race
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pit — a hole
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. wax — for sculpting

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