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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · can · chair · wax · nail · scale · cap · sharp

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. can — a tin
  6. cap — of ice
  7. game — a match
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wax — to grow
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. can — to be able to
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cap — a hat
  18. sharp — clever
  19. can — a tin
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. cap — a lid

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