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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. net — for catching
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mate — a partner
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. shower — rain
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mate — to breed
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cue — for pool
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. shower — to wash
  21. cue — a hint
  22. track — a song
  23. mate — a friend
  24. track — a path

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