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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 116 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. squash — to crush
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. capital — money
  13. pit — a hole
  14. land — to come down
  15. wake — a trail
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. land — a country
  18. pit — in a race
  19. lean — thin
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. capital — a city
  24. land — ground

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