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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. last — final
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. chip — for betting
  5. object — a thing
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. present — the time now
  8. chip — to eat
  9. can — to be able to
  10. object — an aim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. present — a gift
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wax — to grow
  19. last — finally
  20. pitch — completely
  21. present — there
  22. object — to protest
  23. can — a tin
  24. last — to go on

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