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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. content — happy
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wax — to grow
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. cap — of ice
  10. shower — rain
  11. ball — a dance
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. content — the amount
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pop — to visit

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