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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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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: last · pitcher · suit · pit · spell · wax · face · club

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. last — to go on
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. last — final
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. last — finally
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. suit — to fit
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. suit — in cards
  22. club — a group
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. spell — letters

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