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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cap — a hat
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wax — to grow
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cap — of ice
  13. game — wild animals
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. shower — rain
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. lie — to recline
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. rest — a break
  20. game — a match
  21. cap — a lid
  22. shower — to wash
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rest — what's left

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