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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: mate · capital · pass · wax · club · safe · pitch · season

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wax — to grow
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. club — for golf
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mate — a friend
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. capital — money
  15. pitch — completely
  16. season — of the year
  17. pass — a permit
  18. season — in sport
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pitch — a sports field

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