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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. march — the month
  3. pitch — completely
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bat — the animal
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. face — part of the head
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. march — the month
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. face — to confront
  24. march — 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