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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. staff — employees
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wax — to grow
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. lie — to recline
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. kick — in football
  21. pound — a weight
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bowl — a dish

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