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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. season — in sport
  5. wax — to grow
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cell — a phone
  8. season — of the year
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cue — a hint
  14. rash — a series
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cue — a signal
  23. lie — to recline
  24. rash — on the skin

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