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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cue — for pool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cue — a signal
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. content — the amount
  21. kick — in football
  22. wax — to grow
  23. content — happy
  24. wax — in the ear

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