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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. land — ground
  5. current — happening now
  6. kick — in football
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. swing — in golf
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. current — electric
  14. land — a country
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. swing — music
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. current — of water
  21. wax — to grow
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. swing — to play on
  24. sharp — with an edge

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