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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pop — music
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. pop — to visit
  7. rash — hasty
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pop — soda
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. craft — a skill
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — finally
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. spell — letters
  21. wax — to grow
  22. craft — boats
  23. spell — magic
  24. rash — a series

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