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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. last — to go on
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. last — final
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — the arms race
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. fork — in a road
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. race — humankind
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. board — a committee
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. kick — in football
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. last — finally
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. board — to get on
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bear — the animal
  24. fork — a garden tool

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