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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: hand · cue · face · bay · wax · game · rest · last

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. last — final
  3. hand — help
  4. rest — what's left
  5. game — a match
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. last — finally
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cue — a hint
  12. last — to go on
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cue — for pool
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. cue — a signal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wax — to grow
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rest — a break
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. face — to confront

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