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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitch — completely
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. band — a music group
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. band — a ring
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — clothes
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. dip — to dunk

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