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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: kick · wax · mate · saw · capital · rest · pitch · mug

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mate — to breed
  7. capital — money
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. capital — a city
  13. mate — a partner
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. rest — a break
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mate — a friend
  21. kick — in football
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pitch — completely
  24. capital — a big letter

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