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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 120 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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468
Word bank
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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pitch — completely
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rest — a break
  8. wax — to grow
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. season — in sport
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rest — what's left
  16. season — of the year
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rest — what's left
  19. snap — to click
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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