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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. spell — magic
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. content — the amount
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. content — happy
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. fine — high quality
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spell — letters
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. pitch — completely

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