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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. lie — to recline
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. court — of a king
  12. mate — a friend
  13. root — the cause
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cue — for pool
  16. track — a song
  17. kick — in football
  18. root — of a word
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wax — to grow
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. court — for sport
  23. root — of a plant
  24. court — of law

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