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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. club — for golf
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. club — a group
  6. last — finally
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cue — for pool
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. club — for dancing
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wax — to grow
  17. stand — to bear
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. perch — the fish
  20. last — to go on
  21. cue — a signal
  22. last — final
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. safe — out of danger

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