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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. mate — to breed
  3. kick — in football
  4. wax — to grow
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mate — a partner
  13. last — finally
  14. bass — low music
  15. drill — army training
  16. bass — the fish
  17. tube — the underground
  18. last — final
  19. tube — a container
  20. march — the month
  21. mate — a friend
  22. last — to go on
  23. march — music
  24. wax — in the ear

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