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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. net — for catching
  3. mug — to rob
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. current — of water
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. current — electric
  13. pitch — completely
  14. net — after costs
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. vault — a safe
  17. net — in sport
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. current — happening now
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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