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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wax — to grow
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. cue — for pool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. perch — the fish
  10. date — the fruit
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. game — wild animals
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cue — a hint
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. game — a match
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. net — after costs

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