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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cue — a hint
  6. chest — a box
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cue — a signal
  12. drill — army training
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bulb — for light
  18. sharp — clever
  19. drill — the tool
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bulb — of a plant

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