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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. wax — to grow
  3. content — happy
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. content — the amount
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cue — a signal
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cue — for pool
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. mark — a grade

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