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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. root — of a word
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. net — for catching
  13. root — the cause
  14. net — after costs
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. net — in sport
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pit — in a race
  24. root — of a plant

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