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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wax — to grow
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. firm — decided
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. firm — a company
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cap — a hat
  19. firm — steady
  20. lean — thin
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lean — to bend

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