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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mate — a friend
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. cue — a hint
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cue — a signal
  16. club — for golf
  17. chest — a box
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. chest — of your body
  22. club — a group
  23. mate — a partner
  24. fan — a supporter

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