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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. firm — steady
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bore — to drill
  9. firm — a company
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mine — for digging
  16. season — in sport
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wax — to grow
  19. firm — decided
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bore — to tire
  22. season — of the year
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mine — an explosive

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