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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. present — a gift
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. squash — to crush
  7. march — the month
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pitch — completely
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. march — music
  14. present — there
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. present — the time now
  18. wax — to grow
  19. hand — help
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. march — the month
  24. bear — the animal

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