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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wax — to grow
  3. swing — to play on
  4. charge — in control
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. swing — music
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pitch — completely
  18. ground — crushed
  19. charge — electricity
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. shower — rain
  23. charge — a price
  24. pitch — a sports field

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