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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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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: kid · mate · wax · game · key · pop · lash · pitch

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. game — wild animals
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mate — to breed
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. kid — child
  13. pop — soda
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mate — a friend
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wax — to grow
  22. game — a match
  23. pitch — completely
  24. key — in music

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