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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. kick — in football
  6. wax — to grow
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. club — for golf
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. club — a group
  23. hand — help
  24. cell — in biology

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