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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stand · snap · game · cap · ball · wind · pitch · wax

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. game — a match
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cap — a lid
  13. wax — to grow
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cap — of ice
  16. ball — a dance
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cap — a hat
  21. snap — to click
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. stand — to bear

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