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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. game — wild animals
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. drill — a practice
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. game — a match
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bass — the fish
  11. foot — a measure
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bass — low music
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a line of people
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pitch — completely
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wax — in the ear

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