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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: nail · cue · racket · sharp · rash · wax · content · straw

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cue — a hint
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cue — a signal
  10. content — the amount
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cue — for pool
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rash — a series
  18. wax — to grow
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. content — happy

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