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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. cap — a hat
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cap — of ice
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rush — hurry
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pass — a permit
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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