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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. craft — a skill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mark — a grade
  5. rock — a stone
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wax — to grow
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chest — a box
  14. rock — music
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chest — of your body
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. pit — in a race
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pit — a hole

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