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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 116 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. can — a tin
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. scale — in music
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stand — to bear
  10. can — a tin
  11. cap — a lid
  12. can — to be able to
  13. scale — size or range
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wax — to grow
  20. court — of a king
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cue — a signal

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