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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pound — a weight
  4. swing — to play on
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. rest — a break
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. court — of law
  17. rest — what's left
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. kid — child
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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