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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. band — a ring
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chip — to eat
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wax — to grow
  15. band — a music group
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. date — the fruit
  21. chip — for betting
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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