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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cell — a phone
  7. capital — a city
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. chest — a box
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pit — a hole
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pit — in a race
  22. capital — money
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. lie — an untruth

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