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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cap — of ice
  5. suit — to fit
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cold — an illness
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rule — a law
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. suit — clothes
  24. rule — government

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