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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. spring — a coil
  3. club — for golf
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cue — a signal
  6. net — in sport
  7. spring — of water
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. net — after costs
  10. spring — the season
  11. firm — steady
  12. wax — to grow
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — a company
  15. chest — a box
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cue — for pool
  20. club — a group
  21. chest — of your body
  22. net — for catching
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cue — a hint

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