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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. wax — to grow
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. last — final
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stock — goods
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stock — shares
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. perch — the fish
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chair — a leader
  21. last — to go on
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. last — finally
  24. racket — for tennis

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