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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cue — a signal
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cue — a hint
  22. squash — to crush
  23. rush — hurry
  24. cue — for pool

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