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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rash — hasty
  3. march — the month
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pitch — completely
  6. march — the month
  7. game — wild animals
  8. chip — to eat
  9. wax — to grow
  10. mug — a face
  11. game — a match
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. object — a thing
  17. march — music
  18. mug — to rob
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mug — a cup
  24. chip — in a computer

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