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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 · temple · lean

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

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cap — of ice
  3. lean — thin
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rule — a law
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pit — a hole
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lean — to bend
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. kick — in football

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