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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. cue — a signal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. tear — from crying
  6. craft — boats
  7. tear — to rip
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. net — after costs
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cue — for pool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. march — music
  15. stock — goods
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. stock — shares
  18. march — the month
  19. net — for catching
  20. march — the month
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cue — a hint
  23. craft — a skill
  24. stock — a soup base

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