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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitch — completely
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cue — a signal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fall — the season
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. cue — for pool
  24. chest — a box

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