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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 116 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. net — for catching
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. race — humankind
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pit — a hole
  8. net — after costs
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. kick — in football
  11. ground — a position
  12. wax — to grow
  13. race — the arms race
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. race — a contest
  17. ground — crushed
  18. can — a tin
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ground — the earth
  22. net — in sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. can — a tin

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