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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. lean — thin
  3. tear — to rip
  4. net — after costs
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. lean — to bend
  11. snap — to click
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wax — to grow
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. net — for catching
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pitch — completely
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. tear — from crying

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