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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. suit — clothes
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. suit — to fit
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wax — to grow
  11. capital — a city
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. suit — in cards
  16. track — a path
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. track — a song

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