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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. key — the most important part
  3. kid — child
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. key — in music
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rush — hurry
  14. game — a match
  15. cue — a signal
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cue — a hint
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. prune — to trim
  24. racket — for tennis

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