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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cue — a hint
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. swing — music
  7. wake — a trail
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. foot — a measure
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cell — in biology
  14. last — final
  15. cue — a signal
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. last — to go on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cell — a phone

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