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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. chest — of your body
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chest — a box
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. shower — rain
  11. pop — soda
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cap — a lid
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cap — a hat
  17. chest — of your body
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cap — of ice
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wax — to grow
  23. foot — a measure
  24. wax — in the ear

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