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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: court · pound · foot · wax · pitch · lash · race · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. race — humankind
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. race — a contest
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pitch — completely
  8. race — the arms race
  9. foot — a measure
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. swing — music
  17. court — of law
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pound — for dogs

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