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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a skill
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. present — the time now
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. chair — a leader
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rock — music
  17. pitch — completely
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. present — a gift
  22. capital — a city
  23. wax — to grow
  24. present — there

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