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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 120 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.

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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mug — a face
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mug — a cup
  6. last — to go on
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. last — finally
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kick — in football
  14. wax — to grow
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. last — final
  18. kick — a thrill

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