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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.

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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cue — for pool
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rest — a break
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. last — to go on
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cue — a signal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mark — a trace
  18. last — final
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. wax — to grow
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. cue — a hint
  24. last — finally

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