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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. race — humankind
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. race — a contest
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. can — a tin
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. spell — magic
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. race — the arms race

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