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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. lean — thin
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. spell — a short time
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pit — in a race
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. spell — letters
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pit — a hole
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lean — to bend
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. spell — magic
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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