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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. shower — rain
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pitch — completely
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cue — a signal
  19. hand — in cards
  20. file — a document
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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