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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. board — a committee
  10. mark — a trace
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cold — not warm
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. board — to get on
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chair — to sit 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