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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. cue — a hint
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. root — the cause
  4. cue — a signal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. root — of a word
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. root — of a plant
  10. chip — for betting
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chair — a leader
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wax — to grow
  19. chip — to eat
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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