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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — government
  12. cold — not warm
  13. spell — a short time
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. spell — magic
  17. wax — to grow
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spell — letters
  21. roll — a list
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cold — an illness
  24. wax — for sculpting

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