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

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. march — the month
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. saw — the tool
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. march — music
  9. current — electric
  10. current — happening now
  11. wax — to grow
  12. kick — in football
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cap — of ice
  15. current — of water
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. march — the month
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. safe — out of danger

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