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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. capital — money
  3. net — after costs
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. capital — a city
  9. net — in sport
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. game — a match
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wax — to grow
  15. net — for catching
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wax — in the ear

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