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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. sharp — clever
  3. club — for golf
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. swing — music
  7. can — a tin
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. swing — to play on
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wound — an injury
  15. club — for dancing
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. club — a group
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. swing — in golf

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