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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cap — a lid
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kid — to tease
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rash — a series
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rash — hasty
  11. kid — child
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. wax — to grow
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pit — in a race

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