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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. present — a gift
  6. tube — the underground
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wax — to grow
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. tube — a container
  14. present — there
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. present — the time now
  18. suit — in cards
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. suit — clothes

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