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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rest — what's left
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rest — a break
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a grade
  24. coach — a trainer

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