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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · pit · wax · kick · cap · bat

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rule — a law
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rule — government
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cap — a lid
  14. kick — in football
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wax — for sculpting

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