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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. rule — a law
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mate — a friend
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. game — wild animals
  7. track — a path
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. game — a match
  13. field — a subject
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for 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