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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.

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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. kick — in football
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. current — happening now
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wax — to grow
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. land — ground
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. current — of water
  14. land — a country
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. content — the amount
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. land — to come down
  19. content — happy
  20. current — electric
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rush — hurry
  24. lash — an eyelash

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