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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chair — a leader
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. swing — music
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bear — the animal
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. board — to get on
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. swing — in golf
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. ground — a position
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. land — a country
  22. board — a committee
  23. ground — the earth
  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