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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. can — a tin
  4. swing — music
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. can — a tin
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rest — what's left
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rest — a break
  16. wax — to grow
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. track — a path
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rest — what's left
  22. track — to keep track
  23. swing — to play on
  24. track — a song

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