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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. capital — money
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. net — for catching
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wax — to grow
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. press — to push
  12. pitch — completely
  13. capital — a city
  14. hand — in cards
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. net — after costs
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. net — in sport
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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