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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 116 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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fine — high quality
  8. root — of a plant
  9. kid — child
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. root — the cause
  12. cue — for pool
  13. root — of a word
  14. cue — a hint
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. fine — all right
  18. pass — a permit
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cue — a signal
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pass — to succeed

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