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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. game — a match
  6. cap — a lid
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. game — wild animals
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cap — a hat
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bark — to shout
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. kick — in football
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mug — a face
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wax — to grow

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