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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. club — a group
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wake — a trail
  8. deal — to handle
  9. sharp — clever
  10. hand — in cards
  11. club — for golf
  12. pitch — completely
  13. land — ground
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. land — a country
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. club — for dancing
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. land — to come down
  24. sharp — with an edge

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