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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pop — to visit
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wax — to grow
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. present — a gift
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pop — music
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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