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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. capital — a city
  5. deal — to handle
  6. season — in sport
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. spell — letters
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. capital — money
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cue — for pool
  15. lean — thin
  16. spell — a short time
  17. season — of the year
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lean — to bend
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. spell — magic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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