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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. mine — for digging
  5. cue — a hint
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. squash — to crush
  9. lean — thin
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cue — for pool
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lean — to bend
  24. mine — belonging to me

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