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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. season — of the year
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. suit — in cards
  9. squash — the sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. squash — to crush
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. suit — clothes
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. suit — to fit
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. season — in sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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