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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. board — to get on
  6. bass — low music
  7. object — a thing
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wax — to grow
  11. object — to protest
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. board — a committee
  15. root — the cause
  16. season — of the year
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. object — an aim
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pitch — completely
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. root — of a word
  24. season — in sport

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