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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. club — for golf
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mark — a grade
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. game — a match
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. degree — temperature
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fall — the season
  17. wax — to grow
  18. club — a group
  19. fall — to drop
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cabinet — ministers

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