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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wake — a trail
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. clip — for paper
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. mug — a face
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stock — shares
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stock — goods
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. clip — a video
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. hand — help

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