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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. court — for sport
  3. bore — to drill
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cold — not warm
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. court — of law
  14. wax — to grow
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. court — of a king
  17. cold — an illness
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bore — to tire
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cue — a hint
  24. saw — the tool

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