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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cap — a hat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wax — to grow
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. chest — a box
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. chest — of your body
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cap — of ice
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pit — a hole
  22. snap — to click
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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