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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. date — the fruit
  7. season — in sport
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. season — of the year
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cap — of ice
  16. last — final
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. chest — of your body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. season — to add flavour

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