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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. can — a tin
  8. object — to protest
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. can — a tin
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. object — a thing
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cold — not warm
  19. can — to be able to
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. kick — in football
  23. object — an aim
  24. face — to confront

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