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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 120 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chest — of your body
  3. club — a group
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rest — a break
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. capital — a city
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. current — electric
  14. capital — money
  15. chest — a box
  16. wax — to grow
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. current — of water
  21. rest — what's left
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. current — happening now
  24. ball — a dance

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