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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. rest — a break
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. hand — help
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — to breed
  14. branch — a division
  15. rest — what's left
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitch — completely
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pass — to succeed

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