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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. face — to confront
  4. key — the most important part
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. tear — to rip
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. key — in music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. tear — from crying
  24. hide — animal skin

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