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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cue — a hint
  5. staff — a stick
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. staff — employees
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wax — to grow
  17. staff — employees
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pitch — completely
  20. field — farmland
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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