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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: wax · firm · rock · club · chip · pitch · cold · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. club — for dancing
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cold — an illness
  6. firm — decided
  7. pitch — completely
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. firm — a company
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cold — not warm
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wax — to grow
  18. club — for golf
  19. firm — steady
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rock — music
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. club — a group

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