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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: temple · drill · row · wax · pitch · ground · straw · pit

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pitch — completely
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. row — to paddle
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. row — a line
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. drill — army training
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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