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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. swing — music
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mine — for digging
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. chip — to eat
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mate — to breed
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chip — for betting
  15. key — in music
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. swing — in golf
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wax — to grow
  24. squash — to crush

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