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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cap — of ice
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rest — a break
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hand — help
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cap — a hat
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cell — in biology

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