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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bat — the animal
  4. sharp — clever
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. suit — to fit
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. cabinet — ministers

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