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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wax — to grow
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bear — the animal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. kid — to tease
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fine — high quality
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. fine — all right
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a committee
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. arm — a part of something

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