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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. game — a match
  3. rush — hurry
  4. season — of the year
  5. can — to be able to
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. can — a tin
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cap — a lid
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. can — a tin
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. cap — a hat
  18. game — wild animals
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. object — to protest

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