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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. staff — a stick
  5. game — wild animals
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wax — to grow
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stand — to bear
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. staff — employees
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. game — a match
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wax — in the ear

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