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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. game — a match
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. game — wild animals
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fork — in a road
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. mark — a grade
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wax — to grow

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