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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. present — there
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. key — in music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wax — to grow
  8. key — the most important part
  9. cap — a hat
  10. present — a gift
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cap — a lid
  18. chest — a box
  19. present — the time now
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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