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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. face — to point toward
  4. dip — to sink
  5. firm — a company
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wax — to grow
  8. hand — help
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. firm — decided
  11. face — to confront
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rush — hurry
  16. face — part of the head
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. firm — steady
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. scale — in music
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. hand — in cards

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