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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bass — the fish
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cap — of ice
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. squash — the sport
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bass — low music
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pitch — completely

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