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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. swing — music
  3. mine — for digging
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. track — a song
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. swing — in golf
  8. track — to keep track
  9. hand — in cards
  10. swing — to play on
  11. track — a path
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. dip — to sink
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wax — to grow
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ball — a great time

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