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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mine — for digging
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rest — a break
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cue — a signal
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bowl — a dish

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