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

Word bank: arm · toast · fall · chip · bay · mine · wax · cue

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fall — the season
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wax — to grow
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cue — for pool

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