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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. plane — a tool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. roll — a list
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — to grow
  11. roll — a cake
  12. chip — to eat
  13. march — the month
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. swing — in golf
  16. chip — for betting
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. swing — to play on
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. cabinet — ministers

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