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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wax — to grow
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. file — a tool
  7. kick — in football
  8. track — a song
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. suit — in cards
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. file — a document
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. track — to keep track
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. track — a path
  18. swing — to play on
  19. suit — clothes
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. suit — to fit
  22. file — a line of people
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wax — in the ear

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