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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. game — a match
  4. chip — to eat
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. staff — a stick
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. staff — employees
  9. wax — to grow
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. shower — to wash
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. staff — employees
  21. shower — rain
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. chip — for betting
  24. present — the time now

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