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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.

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: stock · wax · arm · season · snap · rest · lie · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. season — of the year
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rest — what's left
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. game — a match
  13. season — in sport
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. game — wild animals
  16. stock — goods
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lie — to recline
  19. wax — to grow
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stock — shares
  24. rest — a break

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