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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. staff — employees
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. staff — employees
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rest — a break
  10. bass — low music
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chest — of your body
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cue — a hint
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cue — for pool
  22. staff — a stick
  23. chest — a box
  24. coach — a trainer

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