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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · sharp · field · clip · racket · pit · safe · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pit — a hole
  3. field — for sport
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. sharp — clever
  7. clip — a video
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. scale — size or range
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. clip — for paper
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. field — a subject
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. field — farmland
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. clip — to cut
  23. scale — in music
  24. sharp — with an edge

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