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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. press — newspapers
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wax — to grow
  5. last — finally
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. last — final
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. press — to push
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. file — a tool
  18. swing — music
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. press — a publisher
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. file — a document

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