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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. present — there
  4. wind — moving air
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. club — a group
  8. present — a gift
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. club — for golf
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. club — for dancing
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. present — the time now
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cue — for pool
  22. rush — hurry
  23. season — in sport
  24. rush — a thrill

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