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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cue — for pool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chest — a box
  8. wax — to grow
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. hand — in cards
  12. perch — the fish
  13. fall — the season
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chest — of your body
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. hand — help
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cue — a signal
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fall — to drop
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. perch — for a bird

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