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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kick — in football
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. file — a line of people
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. file — a tool
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. file — a document
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. land — a country
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bowl — to roll

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