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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. charge — in control
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. charge — electricity
  7. swing — in golf
  8. last — to go on
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. charge — a price
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. field — a subject
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. swing — music
  15. field — for sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. field — farmland
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. wax — for sculpting

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