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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 · scale · pitch · rule · last · rest · nail · chest

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. rest — a break
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. last — final
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. rest — what's left
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — government
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chest — of your body
  24. nail — for a hammer

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