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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. dip — to sink
  3. cell — in biology
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. saw — the tool
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rush — hurry
  10. swing — music
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wax — to grow
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. row — a line
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. march — music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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