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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 124 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chest — a box
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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