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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fork — in a road
  4. mate — a friend
  5. band — a music group
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pitch — completely
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. season — of the year
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rock — music
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. band — a ring

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