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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: wax · key · kick · chest · fan · game · saw · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. saw — the tool
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. game — a match
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chest — of your body
  10. key — for a lock
  11. chip — for betting
  12. kick — in football
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. chest — a box
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wax — to grow
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. key — in music
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fan — a supporter

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