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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. spell — magic
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. club — a group
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. spell — letters
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. spell — a short time
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. press — to push
  20. club — for dancing
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. dip — to dunk

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