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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 120 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. game — a match
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pop — music
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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