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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. root — of a word
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. degree — temperature
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. can — to be able to
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. root — of a plant
  15. can — a tin
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. can — a tin
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. root — the cause
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. sharp — clever

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