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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 116 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. field — for sport
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. field — farmland
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. ball — a dance
  16. march — the month
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. field — a subject
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pitch — completely
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. march — music
  23. wax — to grow
  24. leaves — of a tree

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