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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. net — after costs
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pitch — completely
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. lie — to recline
  20. net — in sport
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. net — for catching

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