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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. lie — to recline
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for golf
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. mark — a trace
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mark — a grade
  13. field — for sport
  14. mine — for digging
  15. field — a subject
  16. club — for dancing
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pitch — completely
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. field — farmland
  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