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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitch · last · squash · season · can · mug · wax · temple

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. season — in sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mug — a cup
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. mug — a face
  17. last — finally
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. last — final
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mug — to rob
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. last — to go on

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