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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 124 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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Word bank
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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: court · lie · mouse · rush · kick · sharp · fall · wax

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. court — of law
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fall — to drop
  11. kick — in football
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fall — the season
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. court — for sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. court — of a king
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. lie — to recline
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wax — to grow

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