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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mug — a cup
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mug — to rob
  9. row — to paddle
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. row — a line
  13. pitch — completely
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pitch — a sports field

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