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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. spring — the season
  6. cue — for pool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. spring — of water
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wax — to grow
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. plane — an aircraft

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