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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. date — the fruit
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. march — the month
  7. capital — money
  8. march — the month
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. swing — music
  12. march — music
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pass — a permit
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. capital — a city
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rush — hurry
  24. date — on the calendar

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