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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 116 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. swing — music
  4. lean — thin
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mark — a grade
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. snap — to click
  24. wax — to grow

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