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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wax — to grow
  3. last — final
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. last — to go on
  13. mark — a grade
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. dip — to sink
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. last — finally
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cue — a hint
  24. wound — an injury

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