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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. hand — in cards
  3. can — a tin
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. file — a line of people
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. staff — employees
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. can — a tin
  12. file — a tool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. staff — employees
  18. hand — help
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. file — a document
  21. wax — to grow
  22. staff — a stick
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fan — to cool the air

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