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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. clip — to cut
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. wax — to grow
  8. key — for a lock
  9. present — a gift
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. present — there
  19. clip — a video
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitch — completely
  22. key — in music
  23. clip — for paper
  24. present — the time now

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