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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pitch — completely
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. chip — for betting
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. foot — a measure
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — a city
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bound — certain
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. chip — in a computer

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