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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pit — a hole
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pitch — completely
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pit — in a race
  20. spell — letters
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. wax — to grow
  24. shower — rain

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