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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. cue — a signal
  3. toast — bread
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. content — the amount
  9. land — ground
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — happy
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mug — a face
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. land — a country
  18. key — in music
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. rule — government
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rule — a law
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. key — the most important part

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