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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a hole
  4. suit — to fit
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. deal — to handle
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. club — for golf
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. club — a group
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. content — the amount
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. suit — clothes
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. row — a line
  19. content — happy
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — completely
  24. suit — in cards

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