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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. mine — for digging
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pitch — completely
  10. cap — a lid
  11. scale — in music
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. net — after costs
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. game — a match
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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