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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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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. swing — music
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stand — to bear
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. spell — a short time
  10. last — to go on
  11. wax — to grow
  12. swing — to play on
  13. deal — to handle
  14. swing — in golf
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. spell — letters
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rash — hasty
  20. last — final
  21. rash — a series
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spell — magic

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