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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. pop — soda
  9. scale — in music
  10. wax — to grow
  11. scale — size or range
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pop — to visit
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pop — music
  23. game — a match
  24. ruler — for measuring

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