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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wax — to grow
  6. shower — rain
  7. staff — employees
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. staff — employees
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pitch — completely
  16. staff — a stick
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. hand — help
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. leaves — to go away

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