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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. roll — a cake
  5. rule — a law
  6. row — a line
  7. club — for golf
  8. kick — in football
  9. mug — a face
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mug — a cup
  12. club — for dancing
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. club — a group
  17. mug — to rob
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a list
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rule — government
  24. wax — for sculpting

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