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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. cue — a signal
  3. last — to go on
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wax — to grow
  11. last — final
  12. net — after costs
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cue — for pool
  18. last — finally
  19. cap — of ice
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lean — thin
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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