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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. tear — to rip
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wax — to grow
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. staff — a stick
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cue — a signal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. drill — army training
  16. staff — employees
  17. cue — for pool
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. drill — a practice
  20. staff — employees
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bass — low music
  24. game — a match

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