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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stand — to bear
  8. suit — in cards
  9. cue — a signal
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cue — a hint
  12. suit — to fit
  13. chip — to eat
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wax — to grow
  16. hand — help
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chip — for betting
  19. suit — clothes
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. hand — part of the body

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