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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. plane — a tool
  5. key — for a lock
  6. shower — rain
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cap — of ice
  10. key — the most important part
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. shower — to wash
  14. key — in music
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wax — to grow
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pit — in a race
  24. patient — a sick person

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