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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. net — for catching
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. race — a contest
  9. wax — to grow
  10. kid — to tease
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bark — to shout
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. cue — a hint
  19. race — humankind
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. kid — child
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wax — in the ear

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