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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — to grow
  7. kick — in football
  8. march — music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. key — for a lock
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. date — the fruit
  14. march — the month
  15. key — in music
  16. cue — a hint
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. march — the month
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cue — a signal
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cue — for pool

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