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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. craft — boats
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fall — the season
  5. chip — to eat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. fall — to drop
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fall — to drop
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. cap — a lid
  12. game — wild animals
  13. craft — a skill
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pit — in a race
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. chip — for betting
  21. game — a match
  22. lean — thin
  23. pit — a hole
  24. chip — in a computer

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