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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pit — a hole
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cap — of ice
  7. file — a tool
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — low music
  14. file — a document
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pitch — a sports field

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