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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: chest · pitch · wax · rest · court · cabinet · drill · snap

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. court — of law
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chest — a box
  6. court — of a king
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rest — a break
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitch — completely
  20. drill — army training
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. court — for sport
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. snap — to click

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