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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. chip — to eat
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. chip — for betting
  10. rock — music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cap — a hat
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cap — of ice
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rock — to move gently

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