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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mate — a partner
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. suit — to fit
  7. staff — a stick
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wax — to grow
  10. suit — clothes
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bat — the animal
  16. hand — help
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. suit — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. kick — in football
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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