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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wind — moving air
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bore — to tire
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wax — to grow
  10. chip — to eat
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bore — to drill
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. scale — in music

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