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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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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. mate — a friend
  3. deal — to handle
  4. rock — music
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. current — electric
  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