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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. squash — the sport
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pit — a hole
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wax — to grow
  24. squash — the vegetable

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