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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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. board — to get on
  2. present — the time now
  3. sharp — clever
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cap — of ice
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cap — a hat
  11. present — a gift
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fall — the season
  14. wax — to grow
  15. board — a committee
  16. present — there
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. cap — a lid
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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