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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rash — a series
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fall — the season
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cue — for pool

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