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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. last — final
  4. wax — to grow
  5. swing — music
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. race — the arms race
  10. kick — in football
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to confront
  13. track — to keep track
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. swing — to play on
  19. race — humankind
  20. face — to point toward
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. race — a contest

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