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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. race — humankind
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. race — the arms race
  8. prune — to trim
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wax — to grow
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. game — a match
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitch — completely
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. race — a contest
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wax — in the ear

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