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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rest — what's left
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. cue — a hint
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. ball — a great time
  13. chest — a box
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. rest — what's left
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. ball — a dance
  24. kid — child

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