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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.

Make a worksheet

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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. object — a thing
  3. kick — in football
  4. rush — hurry
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. row — to paddle
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. object — to protest
  11. content — happy
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. row — a line
  15. scale — in music
  16. content — the amount
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. wax — to grow
  21. scale — size or range
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. object — an aim
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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