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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wake — a trail
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pitch — completely
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chest — a box
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. race — humankind
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. race — a contest
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. ruler — for measuring

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