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

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wax — to grow
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. scale — in music
  9. press — newspapers
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pit — in a race
  14. deal — to handle
  15. press — to push
  16. scale — size or range
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wax — in the ear

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