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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. toast — bread
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rock — music
  12. pitch — completely
  13. key — for a lock
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — to bear
  20. capital — a city
  21. key — in music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. capital — money

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