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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cue — for pool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wake — a trail
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cue — a hint
  9. game — wild animals
  10. mark — a grade
  11. drill — army training
  12. file — a tool
  13. game — a match
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. cue — a signal
  20. file — a document
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mark — a trace
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wake — before a funeral

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