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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wake — a trail
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. file — a document
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rash — a series
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rash — hasty
  14. file — a tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pitch — a sports field

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