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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. press — to push
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. content — happy
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wax — to grow
  15. kid — child
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cap — a lid
  21. press — newspapers
  22. kid — to tease
  23. key — the most important part
  24. press — a publisher

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