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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cap — a hat
  5. charge — in control
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bulb — for light
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. charge — electricity
  13. lie — to recline
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. saw — the tool
  20. charge — a price
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. shower — rain
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. lie — an untruth

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