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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kid — child
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. sharp — clever
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. kid — to tease
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. kick — in football
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wax — to grow

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