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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mate — to breed
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fine — all right
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wax — to grow
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. perch — the fish
  12. mate — a partner
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mate — a friend
  17. swing — music
  18. scale — in music
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fine — high quality
  21. chest — of your body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wax — for sculpting

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