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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. scale — in music
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. scale — size or range
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spell — magic
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. firm — steady
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. spell — letters
  21. kick — in football
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pit — in a race

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