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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · wax · game · stand · cue · march · squash · snap

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cue — for pool
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. mate — to breed
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cue — a signal
  8. squash — to crush
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cue — a hint
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. march — music
  13. wax — to grow
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. march — the month
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. snap — to click
  20. stand — to bear
  21. march — the month
  22. mate — a partner
  23. game — a match
  24. stand — on your feet

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