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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cap — a hat
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wax — to grow
  14. season — of the year
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. hand — help
  17. cap — of ice
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chair — a professorship

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