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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pitch — completely
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wax — to grow
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. track — a path
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. suit — clothes
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. track — a song
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rest — what's left
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. suit — in cards
  24. date — the fruit

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