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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cue · wax · file · pit · mouse · rash · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wax — to grow
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. last — to go on
  11. file — a document
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. file — a tool
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — a series
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pit — a hole
  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