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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: last · mate · key · bat · calf · wax · bowl · cue

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. key — in music
  4. wax — to grow
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. cue — for pool
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mate — a friend
  14. last — final
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cue — a hint
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mate — to breed

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