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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fall — the season
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bass — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bass — low music
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wax — to grow
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rest — what's left
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rest — a break
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mate — a partner

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