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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. chip — for betting
  6. club — for golf
  7. last — final
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. chip — to eat
  11. pitch — completely
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stock — goods
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. prune — to trim
  22. last — to go on
  23. club — a group
  24. last — finally

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