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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. rash — hasty
  6. drill — a practice
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. dip — to sink
  9. drill — the tool
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. rash — a series
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pitch — completely
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. drill — army training
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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