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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. kid — to tease
  3. cue — for pool
  4. land — a country
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pop — music
  8. cue — a signal
  9. land — to come down
  10. kid — child
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cue — a hint
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pop — soda
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. root — of a word
  19. pop — to visit
  20. land — ground
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. root — the cause
  24. ruler — for measuring

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