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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chip — to eat
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rash — hasty
  14. field — farmland
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. field — a subject
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rash — a series
  24. field — for sport

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