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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. season — in sport
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cue — for pool
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. clip — a video
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stand — to bear
  20. season — of the year
  21. pitch — completely
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cue — a signal
  24. wax — in the ear

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