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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. field — for sport
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. object — to protest
  9. can — a tin
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — an aim
  12. wax — to grow
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. field — a subject
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. field — farmland
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. wax — in the ear

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