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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 116 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rule — a law
  9. shower — rain
  10. net — for catching
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wax — to grow
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rule — government
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. rule — to rule out

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