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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mate — a partner
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rest — what's left
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rest — a break
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. spell — letters
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rest — what's left
  12. firm — decided
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. firm — steady
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pitch — completely
  18. spell — magic
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. spell — a short time
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. firm — a company

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