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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. can — a tin
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. face — part of the head
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. sharp — clever
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. can — to be able to
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. face — to confront
  22. can — a tin
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wax — in the ear

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