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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. game — wild animals
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cap — a hat
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cap — a lid
  16. game — a match
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cap — of ice

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