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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. suit — to fit
  3. wax — to grow
  4. scale — in music
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. suit — clothes
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — for paper
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. clip — a video
  14. scale — size or range
  15. object — an aim
  16. hand — help
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. suit — in cards
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — to protest
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. dip — to sink

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