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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wax — to grow
  3. club — for golf
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. file — a tool
  8. pitch — completely
  9. game — a match
  10. roll — a cake
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. game — wild animals
  13. kick — in football
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. club — for dancing
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. club — a group
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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