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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cold — an illness
  14. deal — to handle
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. cue — a hint
  21. spell — letters
  22. pit — a hole
  23. deal — an agreement
  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