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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. drill — the tool
  3. land — to come down
  4. content — the amount
  5. drill — a practice
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. land — ground
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. content — happy
  10. drill — army training
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. land — a country

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