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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 120 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. swing — in golf
  3. net — after costs
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. face — to confront
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. swing — music
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. swing — to play on
  17. face — part of the head
  18. net — in sport
  19. wax — to grow
  20. face — to point toward
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. net — for catching
  24. wound — an injury

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