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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. swing — to play on
  6. pass — a permit
  7. can — a tin
  8. ground — crushed
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ground — a position
  12. rash — a series
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. swing — in golf
  15. can — a tin
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. can — to be able to
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. swing — music
  24. ground — the earth

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