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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. toast — a drink to someone
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. drill — the tool
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. drill — army training
  6. toast — bread
  7. drill — a practice
  8. net — for catching
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cue — a hint
  12. net — after costs
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cue — a signal
  16. wax — to grow
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. sharp — clever
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. net — in sport
  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