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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 116 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cell — a phone
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rash — a series
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. game — a match
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mate — to breed
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wind — moving air

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