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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. spring — of water
  3. cap — a hat
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. hand — help
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. spring — a coil
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. face — to point toward
  14. spring — the season
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. face — to confront
  21. cap — of ice
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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