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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: kick · game · can · cold · charge · wax · lash · plane

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. charge — electricity
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. can — to be able to
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. plane — a tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. wax — to grow
  12. can — a tin
  13. cold — not warm
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. game — a match
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. kick — in football
  18. charge — in control
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. charge — a price
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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