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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bore — to tire
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bass — low music
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rule — a law
  13. pass — a permit
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. net — in sport
  16. kick — in football
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rule — government
  24. bore — gave birth

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