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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 116 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
468
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: mouse · game · rule · pitch · present · wax · net · bat

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. present — there
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bat — the animal
  9. net — in sport
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. net — after costs
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rule — a law
  17. game — a match
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. net — for catching
  21. present — the time now
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rule — government
  24. mouse — the animal

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