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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. roll — a cake
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. drill — army training
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. capital — money
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. drill — a practice
  16. capital — a city
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. snap — to click
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. cue — a hint
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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