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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. face — to confront
  4. firm — a company
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. face — part of the head
  8. swing — in golf
  9. wound — an injury
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pop — soda
  16. pitch — completely
  17. firm — steady
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — to play on
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wax — to grow
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pop — music
  24. coach — a trainer

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