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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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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. rash — hasty
  3. content — happy
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lie — to recline
  7. foot — a measure
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. kick — in football
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. content — the amount
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rash — a series
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. lie — an untruth

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