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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 124 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. swing — in golf
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pitch — completely
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. wax — to grow
  16. chest — a box
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rest — what's left
  19. swing — music
  20. rest — a break
  21. swing — to play on
  22. rest — what's left
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in 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