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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cap — a hat
  3. game — a match
  4. capital — a city
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. net — in sport
  8. spell — letters
  9. capital — money
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. spell — magic
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cap — a lid
  19. stand — to bear
  20. net — for catching
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. net — after costs
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bay — a horse colour

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