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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: sharp · wax · racket · perch · track · band · face · pitch

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. track — a path
  4. face — to confront
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. sharp — clever
  7. track — a song
  8. band — a ring
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. track — to keep track
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pitch — completely
  19. perch — the fish
  20. face — part of the head
  21. band — a music group
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. band — a rubber band

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