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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 116 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. suit — to fit
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. capital — a city
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — clothes
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. capital — money
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hand — help
  20. vault — a safe
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wax — to grow
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. perch — the fish

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