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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. game — a match
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pit — a hole
  7. file — a document
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chip — for betting
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pit — in a race
  15. file — a line of people
  16. tube — a container
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pitch — completely
  19. file — a tool
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. game — wild animals
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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