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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pitch — completely
  3. club — for golf
  4. band — a ring
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. season — of the year
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. land — ground
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mug — to rob
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mug — a face
  21. perch — the fish
  22. season — in sport
  23. band — a music group
  24. club — a group

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