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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 116 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. cap — of ice
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cell — a phone
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cue — a hint

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