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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. hand — help
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. ground — the earth
  9. cap — a lid
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pound — a weight
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fine — high quality
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fine — all right
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. present — the time now

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