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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 116 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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. net — after costs
  10. rock — music
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cue — for pool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rock — a stone
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cue — a signal
  19. net — in sport
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. scale — in music
  23. net — for catching
  24. scale — size or range

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