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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cue — a hint
  4. object — to protest
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. kid — child
  8. cue — a signal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. date — the fruit
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wax — to grow
  15. object — a thing
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. object — an aim
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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