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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a music group
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. band — a ring
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wind — moving air
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pitch — completely
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pit — in a race
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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