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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 116 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — to protest
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. object — a thing
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. last — final
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rash — a series
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rest — a break
  19. wax — to grow
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. kick — in football
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bore — to tire

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