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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mark — a trace
  12. last — final
  13. last — finally
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. last — to go on
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. sharp — clever
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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