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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. race — humankind
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. cap — a hat
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bulb — for light
  11. race — a contest
  12. face — to confront
  13. cap — a lid
  14. season — in sport
  15. wax — to grow
  16. fork — in a road
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bulb — for light
  20. season — of the year
  21. face — to point toward
  22. kick — in football
  23. cap — of ice
  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