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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. last — to go on
  8. pitch — completely
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. swing — music
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fine — all right
  18. last — finally
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. snap — to click
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fine — high quality
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. last — final

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