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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pass — a permit
  7. club — for golf
  8. ground — a position
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. ground — crushed
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — to fit
  13. club — a group
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. suit — in cards
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. swing — music
  21. wax — to grow
  22. swing — to play on
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pass — to spend time

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