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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. date — the fruit
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. capital — money
  8. bore — to tire
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wax — to grow
  12. dip — to sink
  13. hand — help
  14. cue — a signal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cue — a hint
  19. capital — a city
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cue — for pool

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