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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. shower — rain
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cap — of ice
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. sharp — clever
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cap — a lid
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cue — a signal
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cue — for pool

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