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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mug — a cup
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mug — to rob
  7. dip — to sink
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. ball — a great time
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mate — a friend
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cap — a hat
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. mug — a face
  20. mate — a partner
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mate — to breed
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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