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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wax — to grow
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cap — a lid
  10. court — of a king
  11. file — a line of people
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. chip — to eat
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. season — of the year
  17. file — a tool
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. file — a document
  20. court — for sport
  21. season — in sport
  22. court — of law
  23. cap — of ice
  24. nail — for a hammer

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