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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. kick — in football
  3. season — in sport
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. kid — child
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. season — of the year
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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