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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: hand · last · mark · hide · land · wax · jam · pitch

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. land — to come down
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. last — to go on
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. hand — help
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mark — a trace
  12. land — a country
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. pitch — completely
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. last — final
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wax — to grow
  23. land — ground
  24. mark — to pay attention

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