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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. swing — to play on
  5. wax — to grow
  6. swing — music
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. object — a thing
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. object — an aim
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stock — goods
  20. season — in sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fork — in a road
  24. season — of the year

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