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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. current — of water
  3. drill — army training
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rash — hasty
  6. current — electric
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rash — a series
  9. wax — to grow
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. current — happening now
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. drill — the tool
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wake — before a funeral

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