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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rule — government
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cap — a hat
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rule — a law
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. face — part of the head
  22. capital — a city
  23. cap — a lid
  24. capital — money

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