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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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468
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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. bass — low music
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. ground — crushed
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. face — part of the head
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. wax — to grow
  14. march — music
  15. ground — a position
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fork — in a road
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. face — to confront
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bass — the fish

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