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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mate — to breed
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. kid — child
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. firm — steady
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rush — hurry
  12. firm — decided
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. firm — a company
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. kid — to tease
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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