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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. deal — to handle
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. kick — in football
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fall — to drop
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fall — the season
  24. racket — a loud noise

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