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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. kid — to tease
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wax — to grow
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cell — a phone
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. date — the fruit
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. board — a committee
  24. kid — child

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