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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rest — a break
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — a signal
  7. club — for golf
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wax — to grow
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stand — to bear
  18. ground — a position
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bat — the animal
  24. club — a group

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