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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. game — a match
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. swing — music
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. season — of the year
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. swing — in golf
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. season — in sport
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wax — to grow

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