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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mate — to breed
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. toast — bread
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. dip — to sink
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. degree — temperature
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pitch — completely
  21. degree — an amount
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. degree — from a university

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