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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bat — the animal
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. root — the cause
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wax — in the ear

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