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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cap — of ice
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. date — the fruit
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chair — a leader
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rush — hurry
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. scale — in music

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