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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. drill — the tool
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. field — a subject
  5. cue — a signal
  6. fall — the season
  7. pop — soda
  8. drill — army training
  9. field — for sport
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wax — to grow
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. field — farmland
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — music
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fall — to drop
  24. sharp — clever

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