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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 120 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: pitch · wave · wax · game · deal · rest · sharp · cell

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. cell — a phone
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cell — in biology
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rest — what's left
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. game — a match
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rest — a break
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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