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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cue — a hint
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. cue — for pool
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bat — the animal
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — of the year
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pound — a weight
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. safe — out of danger

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