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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cue — for pool
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mark — a grade
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. rest — a break

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