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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cue — for pool
  6. craft — boats
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. march — the month
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. march — the month
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. march — music
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. deal — to handle
  23. kid — child
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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