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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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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wind — moving air
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. degree — an amount
  17. ball — a great time
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — in cards
  24. pitch — completely

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