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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rule — government
  4. club — for golf
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fall — to drop
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rule — a law
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wind — moving air
  14. club — a group
  15. wind — moving air
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. fall — the season
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. club — for dancing
  24. chair — a leader

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