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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. can — a tin
  3. squash — to crush
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wax — to grow
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. row — to paddle
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. date — the fruit
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. row — a line
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. can — a tin
  24. cabinet — ministers

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