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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — in sport
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wax — to grow
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wound — an injury
  21. face — to point toward
  22. snap — to click
  23. season — of the year
  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