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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pop — to visit
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. ground — crushed
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pop — soda
  11. cap — a hat
  12. kid — child
  13. face — to confront
  14. wax — to grow
  15. ground — the earth
  16. face — part of the head
  17. ground — a position
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pop — music
  24. kid — to tease

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