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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pop — soda
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. cap — a hat
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. pop — to visit
  9. can — a tin
  10. pop — music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. can — to be able to
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. can — a tin
  22. fine — all right
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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