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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pop — music
  3. cue — for pool
  4. pop — to visit
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. spell — letters
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. last — finally
  11. chip — to eat
  12. pop — soda
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. staff — employees
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cue — a signal
  17. staff — employees
  18. chip — for betting
  19. last — final
  20. spell — magic
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cue — a hint

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