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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. race — humankind
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. spring — the season
  7. wax — to grow
  8. kick — in football
  9. mug — a face
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. spring — of water
  14. mug — to rob
  15. cap — a hat
  16. race — a contest
  17. cap — of ice
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bass — low music
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bass — the fish

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