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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · fine · fork · land · ball · snap · pitch · mate

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. ball — a great time
  3. snap — to click
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. land — a country
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. land — ground
  11. fine — all right
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. mate — a friend
  15. land — to come down
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pitch — completely
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mate — to breed
  24. fork — in a road

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