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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. court — for sport
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bound — obliged
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bound — tied together
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wax — to grow
  15. kick — in football
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. court — of a king
  20. bound — certain
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. court — of law
  24. lash — an eyelash

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