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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cap — of ice
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cap — a lid
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wax — to grow
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. plane — a tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. cap — a hat
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. game — a match
  17. can — to be able to
  18. tube — the underground
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. tube — a container
  24. can — a tin

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