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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cue — a hint
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cue — a signal
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bat — the animal
  14. firm — decided
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. sharp — clever
  17. firm — a company
  18. cue — for pool
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. hand — help
  22. firm — steady
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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