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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pop — soda
  8. pass — a permit
  9. board — a committee
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. net — in sport
  12. mug — a face
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pop — music
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pop — to visit
  22. shower — rain
  23. mug — to rob
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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