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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: content · staff · pitch · cabinet · pit · foot · wax · club

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pit — in a race
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. content — the amount
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pit — a hole
  18. staff — employees
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pitch — completely
  21. club — a group
  22. foot — a measure
  23. staff — employees
  24. club — for golf

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