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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — to bend
  11. kick — in football
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cue — for pool
  15. sharp — clever
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cold — an illness
  19. lean — thin
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cold — not warm
  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