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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. degree — temperature
  9. dip — to sink
  10. season — of the year
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — a leader
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mine — for digging
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wax — to grow
  21. season — in sport
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. lie — to recline

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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