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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. capital — a city
  3. wax — to grow
  4. plane — a tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — a match
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. game — wild animals
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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