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

Word bank: last · content · cap · pitch · wax · cue · cell · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. cap — a lid
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cell — in biology
  5. last — finally
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. last — final
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. content — happy
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cue — for pool
  15. content — the amount
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pitch — completely
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cue — a signal
  22. last — to go on
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cue — a hint

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