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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cell — a phone
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. cell — in biology
  12. plane — a tool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cue — for pool
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. plane — an aircraft

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