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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. march — the month
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cue — a hint
  15. march — music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. degree — an amount
  23. track — to keep track
  24. march — the month

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