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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. current — happening now
  6. clip — for paper
  7. current — electric
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. drill — army training
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mug — a cup
  23. current — of water
  24. clip — a video

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