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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. present — the time now
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. squash — the sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. game — a match
  14. can — a tin
  15. toast — bread
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. present — there
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wax — to grow
  24. game — wild animals

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