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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 120 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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cue — for pool
  4. march — the month
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. ball — a great time
  9. march — music
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cue — a hint
  16. pound — a weight
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wax — to grow
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. kid — to tease
  24. march — the month

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