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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bear — the animal
  11. shower — to wash
  12. hand — help
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pass — a permit
  20. club — for golf
  21. wax — to grow
  22. shower — rain
  23. hand — in cards
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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