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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pass — a permit
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. land — to come down
  8. mug — a cup
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mug — a face
  13. game — a match
  14. race — humankind
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. mug — to rob
  18. land — ground
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. land — a country
  22. race — a contest
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. race — the arms race

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