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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cue — for pool
  5. hand — help
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. firm — steady
  10. cue — a hint
  11. wax — to grow
  12. kid — child
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wound — an injury
  16. firm — decided
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. firm — a company
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cue — a signal
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wax — for sculpting

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