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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. file — a tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. last — finally
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rule — a law
  9. file — a document
  10. wax — to grow
  11. last — to go on
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. last — final
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rule — government
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. swing — in golf

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