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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: wax · cue · net · season · row · firm · pop · bat

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pop — to visit
  4. firm — a company
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cue — a hint
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. net — in sport
  10. firm — steady
  11. net — for catching
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pop — soda
  14. season — in sport
  15. cue — for pool
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. firm — decided
  19. pop — music
  20. season — of the year
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cue — a signal
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bat — in an idiom

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