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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. firm — decided
  6. roll — a cake
  7. scale — in music
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. roll — a list
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. firm — steady
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rest — what's left
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wax — to grow

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