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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mug — a cup
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rest — what's left
  10. sharp — clever
  11. drill — army training
  12. mug — a face
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mug — to rob
  16. march — the month
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. swing — to play on
  19. march — music
  20. drill — the tool
  21. march — the month
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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