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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 116 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cue — for pool
  4. current — electric
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. kid — child
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cue — a signal
  15. march — the month
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. current — of water
  18. march — the month
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. current — happening now
  23. march — music
  24. saw — the tool

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