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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. march — music
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. chip — to eat
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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