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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cue — a hint
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bulb — for light
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wax — to grow
  23. pound — a weight
  24. chair — to sit on

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