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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. swing — in golf
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wax — to grow
  6. swing — music
  7. rash — a series
  8. current — happening now
  9. current — of water
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. current — electric
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wind — moving air
  16. season — in sport
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. season — of the year
  20. swing — to play on
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. wind — to turn a key

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