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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: last · stick · pitch · race · cue · wax · board · field

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. race — humankind
  6. field — for sport
  7. race — a contest
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cue — a signal
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. field — farmland
  13. last — to go on
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. board — to get on
  18. last — finally
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. field — a subject
  21. wax — to grow
  22. last — final
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. race — the arms race

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