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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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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. spell — letters
  7. wax — to grow
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. spell — magic
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bank — for money
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pitch — completely
  24. spell — a short time

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