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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. present — a gift
  4. rash — a series
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. net — after costs
  10. swing — in golf
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. swing — music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. net — in sport
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. present — the time now
  18. net — for catching
  19. lean — to bend
  20. chair — a leader
  21. swing — to play on
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lean — thin
  24. rush — hurry

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