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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wax — to grow
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. cap — a lid
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kick — in football
  21. dip — to sink
  22. mark — a trace
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. kick — a thrill

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