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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cue — for pool
  5. kid — child
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. kid — to tease
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. content — the amount
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cue — a signal
  24. content — happy

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