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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cap — a hat
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wax — to grow
  11. game — wild animals
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. plane — a tool
  15. chair — a leader
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. cap — of ice
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cap — a lid
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. dip — to dunk

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