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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. staff — employees
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wax — to grow
  14. track — a song
  15. bat — the animal
  16. track — a path
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cue — a hint
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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