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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stand · wax · face · kick · chip · sharp · rest · last

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. kick — in football
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. face — to confront
  7. stand — to bear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. chip — to eat
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. last — finally
  15. rest — what's left
  16. face — part of the head
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rest — a break
  19. last — final
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. last — to go on
  24. face — to point toward

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