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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. club — for golf
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. staff — employees
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. staff — employees
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — a measure
  15. club — for dancing
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. club — a group
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pitch — completely
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wax — to grow

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