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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cue — a hint
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. current — of water
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cue — for pool
  11. current — electric
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wax — to grow
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. current — happening now
  17. mug — a face
  18. shower — rain
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pit — in a race
  24. shower — to wash

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