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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. club — for golf
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wax — to grow
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. club — a group
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. chip — for betting
  22. date — the fruit
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mouse — for a computer

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