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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wax — to grow
  5. spell — letters
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. spell — magic
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spell — a short time
  15. kid — to tease
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. can — a tin
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mark — a grade
  24. kid — child

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