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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. last — final
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — size or range
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. last — finally
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. degree — an amount
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. degree — from a university
  21. last — to go on
  22. scale — in music
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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