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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bat — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. march — the month
  7. cue — a hint
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cue — a signal
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. mine — for digging
  17. march — music
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rule — government
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rule — a law
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mine — belonging to me

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