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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. board — to get on
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rush — hurry
  12. kid — child
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. kid — to tease
  19. board — a committee
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wax — to grow
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mate — a friend

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