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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. face — to confront
  4. dip — to sink
  5. net — in sport
  6. march — the month
  7. net — after costs
  8. root — of a word
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. net — for catching
  11. march — music
  12. face — part of the head
  13. march — the month
  14. wax — to grow
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cap — of ice
  18. root — the cause
  19. foot — a measure
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cap — a hat

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