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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cap — a lid
  4. race — the arms race
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cap — of ice
  8. rest — what's left
  9. race — a contest
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bear — the animal
  13. race — humankind
  14. bear — the animal
  15. plane — a tool
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rest — a break
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. snap — to click
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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