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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rock — a stone
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. rock — music
  10. wax — to grow
  11. dip — to sink
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. face — to confront
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. mark — a trace
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chest — of your body

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