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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 the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. capital — a city
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fall — the season
  8. swing — in golf
  9. band — a ring
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. mug — a face
  14. game — a match
  15. swing — music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. capital — money
  19. mug — to rob
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wax — to grow
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. fall — to drop
  24. swing — to play on

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