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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cap — a lid
  5. pit — a hole
  6. fall — to drop
  7. march — the month
  8. season — in sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. season — of the year
  11. pit — in a race
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ground — the earth
  15. march — the month
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. ground — a position
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. cap — a hat
  23. march — music
  24. cap — of ice

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