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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. season — of the year
  3. rule — a law
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mug — to rob
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mug — a face
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. kick — in football
  12. mug — a cup
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. drill — army training
  18. season — in sport
  19. rule — government
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. drill — a practice
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wax — to grow

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