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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. deal — to handle
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rest — a break
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. season — of the year
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. sharp — clever
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. tube — the underground
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. tube — a container

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