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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rash — hasty
  3. swing — to play on
  4. net — after costs
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. net — in sport
  10. cold — not warm
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. net — for catching
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rash — a series
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to confront
  24. safe — a strongbox

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