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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cue — a hint
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cue — a signal
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. club — a group
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fall — to drop
  12. spell — letters
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fall — the season
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cue — for pool
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. club — for golf
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. spell — magic
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. spell — a short time

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