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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wax — to grow
  3. squash — to crush
  4. drill — a practice
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. drill — the tool
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. drill — army training
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. hand — in cards
  11. chip — for betting
  12. root — of a plant
  13. scale — size or range
  14. root — the cause
  15. pitch — completely
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. root — of a word
  24. hand — help

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