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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.

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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: stick · pitch · file · wax · game · lash · mate · wind

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. mate — to breed
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. file — a document
  7. wax — to grow
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mate — a friend
  10. game — a match
  11. pitch — completely
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. file — a tool
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. file — a line of people

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