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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. key — the most important part
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cue — a signal
  7. lean — to bend
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fine — all right
  12. row — to paddle
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wax — to grow
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lean — thin
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. key — in music
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. key — for a lock
  24. calf — of the leg

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