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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mine — for digging
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pitch — completely
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rash — hasty
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. snap — to click
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mark — a trace
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. rash — a series
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitch — a sports field

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