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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. staff — employees
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ground — a position
  5. staff — employees
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. swing — to play on
  10. roll — a list
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. ground — the earth
  15. swing — in golf
  16. snap — to click
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. staff — a stick
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wax — to grow
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. swing — music

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