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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. swing — to play on
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. kick — in football
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. last — final
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wake — a trail
  12. face — part of the head
  13. last — finally
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. sharp — clever
  18. face — to confront
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. swing — music
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wax — to grow
  24. face — to point toward

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