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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. present — there
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. present — a gift
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. track — to keep track
  8. board — a committee
  9. season — of the year
  10. track — a path
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wax — to grow
  13. track — a song
  14. season — in sport
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. lie — to recline
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. present — the time now
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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