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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cue — a signal
  4. root — of a plant
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mug — to rob
  9. root — the cause
  10. file — a document
  11. wax — to grow
  12. kid — child
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. kid — to tease
  15. root — of a word
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. mug — a cup
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mug — a face

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