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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. face — part of the head
  5. court — of a king
  6. pitch — completely
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. row — to paddle
  11. court — of law
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fork — in a road
  14. court — for sport
  15. object — to protest
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. object — an aim
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. object — a thing
  20. wax — to grow
  21. face — to confront
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. row — a line
  24. wax — in the ear

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