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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. drill — the tool
  5. chip — to eat
  6. roll — a cake
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. drill — army training
  11. suit — to fit
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. suit — in cards
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mine — for digging
  23. suit — clothes
  24. cell — in biology

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