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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. mug — to rob
  8. pitch — completely
  9. mug — a face
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rush — hurry
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. squash — the sport
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. key — in music
  21. drill — army training
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mug — a cup
  24. key — for a lock

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