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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — a safe
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. march — the month
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rock — music
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rock — a stone
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wax — to grow
  22. march — the month
  23. chip — to eat
  24. march — music

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