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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. capital — a city
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. root — of a word
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — money
  10. last — finally
  11. pitch — completely
  12. last — final
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rush — hurry
  20. root — the cause
  21. fall — the season
  22. last — to go on
  23. root — of a plant
  24. fall — to drop

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