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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. kid — to tease
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rock — music
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. scale — in music
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. kid — child
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. track — a song
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. swing — to play on
  17. track — to keep track
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. wax — to grow
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. swing — music
  22. track — a path
  23. swing — in golf
  24. jam — a tight spot

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