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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wax — to grow
  3. roll — a list
  4. kid — to tease
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. land — a country
  11. kid — child
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. track — a path
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cap — a lid
  20. land — ground
  21. roll — a cake
  22. land — to come down
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wax — in the ear

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