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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. swing — in golf
  3. ball — a dance
  4. firm — steady
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. firm — a company
  9. swing — to play on
  10. capital — a city
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. firm — decided
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. swing — music
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. capital — money
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. ball — a great time
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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