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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rock — music
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cap — a hat
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. wax — to grow
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cap — a lid
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wax — in the ear

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