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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rock — a stone
  3. face — part of the head
  4. field — a subject
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. fall — to drop
  7. swing — music
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. lean — thin
  12. field — farmland
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. field — for sport
  17. rock — music
  18. fall — the season
  19. rule — a law
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rule — government
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. swing — to play on

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