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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.

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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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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: wax · snap · sharp · race · pitcher · field · temple · chip

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. race — a contest
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. sharp — clever
  6. chip — for betting
  7. snap — to click
  8. race — the arms race
  9. field — a subject
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. field — farmland
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. race — humankind
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. temple — a place of worship

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