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

Word bank: wax · toast · kid · march · lie · pit · pitch · perch

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. toast — bread
  3. pit — in a race
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. march — the month
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wax — to grow
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. march — the month
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. kid — child
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. march — music
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pit — a hole

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