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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 120 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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468
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pit — in a race
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. kick — in football
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. mate — a friend
  15. can — a tin
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wind — moving air
  22. can — a tin
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. kick — a thrill

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