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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. can — a tin
  4. fine — all right
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. chair — a leader
  10. content — happy
  11. cap — a hat
  12. content — the amount
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wax — to grow
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cap — of ice
  18. can — a tin
  19. cap — a lid
  20. lean — to bend
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. fine — high quality
  24. lean — thin

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